DOJ to seek cancellation of Roque's passport

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said they will request the cancellation of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque’s passport, following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him.

“We will write a letter for that purpose,” Remulla said in an ambush interview.

A regional trial court issued arrest warrants against Roque, Cassandra Ong, and 48 others for qualified human trafficking over the Lucky South 99 POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga.

The former presidential spokesperson is currently seeking asylum in The Netherlands. He earlier said that he is a victim of political persecution as he is an ally of the Duterte family, a claim that Malacañang rejected.

Remulla said that Roque’s asylum application will have to be resolved before the arrest warrants against him can be enforced.

“‘Pag wala siyang asylum at na-cancel ang passport niya, he will have to be deported,” Remulla said.

(If he doesn’t get asylum and his passport is canceled, he will have to be deported.)

Remulla said he believes The Netherlands will not tolerate the crimes that Roque is being accused of.

“I believe that they will not tolerate the commission of crimes that are being charged here. And they see naman that the justice system is working in this sense that we have given due process to him to answer,” he said.

“He answered the complaint in Abu Dhabi. We considered everything. And the panel of prosecutors was able to reach a conclusion that he was to be charged,” he added.

The Department of Justice previously said it is now preparing documents needed to request the issuance of an Interpol red notice against Roque.

According to Interpol, a red notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person who is wanted by a requesting member country or an international tribunal pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. —VAL, GMA Integrated News